What does Volunteering at hospital get u

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I want to become a nurse but I'm still in high school should I volunteer at hospital? It doesn't count as credit in my high school..

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I think it would be great to volunteer at a hospital. It will allow to to get familiar with that type of environment and interact with all kinds of diverse people. It will also allow you to make connections that may help you out in your nursing career.

I am a volunteer at a large hospital, and it got me a job! Not as a nurse, but as something else since I am still in school.

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What volunteering can get you is priceless exposure to the real-world nursing work environment. You can learn to be comfortable in the clinical environment, with sick patients, worried families, stressed out nurses and doctors, etc. You can find out about and be well-placed for landing some kind of part-time/summer health assistant position that would allow you to work directly with patients (since volunteers often are fairly limited in their opportunities at patient interaction). You can certainly list it on resumes and applications to show your responsibility and motivation. You can get letters of recommendation for that can help with school, work, & scholarship applications. The self-confidence and experience you'd gain aren't something you can measure like a GPA, but are very valuable in life.

Some facilities require volunteers to do a certain amount of 'boring' volunteer work before allowing them to volunteer in the more popular positions. Just don't let yourself get stuck in a back office or the gift shop if your ultimate goal is clinical nursing. Enjoy!

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Specializes in Maybe peds someday.

Helped get me scholarships and all of my nursing school paid for! Plus it was a great experience. :)

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Will volunteering while in Nursing School help you land a job once you graduate?

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Will volunteering while in Nursing School help you land a job once you graduate?

Volunteering allows you to make connections. Any connection you make may help you in your job search.

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Specializes in Nursing Professional Development.

I definitely agree with all the previous posts. Having high school volunteer experience is a definite plus on your resume for the future. You also learn a lot about yourself and the hospital work environment. You also make connections that can be helpful for your future.

llg, PhD, RN-BC -- and former "candy-striper"

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